Power-generating apparatus.



PATENTED JUNE 5, 11906.

W." L. R. BMMET. POWER GENERATING APPARATUS.

APPLIGATION'FILED OCT. 7. 1905.

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1 the engine.

UNITED STATES Pafr N'r OFFICE.

WILLIAM L R. EMMET, OF SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GENERALELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

POWER-GENERATING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 5, 1906.

Application filed October 7, 1905. Serial No. 281,786.

plants that include high-pressure reciprocating engines.

At. the present time there are in operation a large number of powerplants equipped with reciprocating steam-engines, some of which operatecondensing and others noncondensing. In the former case the economy isgreater than in the latter; but in neither case is it as great as itshould be. The greatest restriction of ossible economy in thereciprocating engine 'es in the limited range of the expansion of thesteam supplied thereto. On the other hand, the steam-turbine possessesthe inherent advanta e that it canbe designed to work efiective y withvery high degrees of expansion-of the steam.

In; carrying out my invention I take advantage of this peculiarity ofthe steam-turbine and connect one or more of them to the ing engines,the latter being arranged to work .between the boiler and a suitableexhaustpressure. For example, this may be atmosphere or somewhat aboveorbelow it.

In plants using compound reciprocating engines it is desirable toarrange the turbine to take steam from the engines under fullloadconditions at about eight pounds absolute, corresponding approximatelyto the exhaust-point in the low-pressure cylinder of The engine willthen handle all the steam which it can with maximum efii- .ciency, andits output will only be slightly reduced. The turbine will handle thesteam ity which acts as a reservoir and at the same .be connected totime prevents the puffs of steam due to the intermittent exhaust frompassing. as such directly to the turbine. To the header or othersuitable point is connected a conduit that exhausts into the atmos here.In this conduit is an automatic re ief-valve that opens when thepressure in the header exceeds the predetermined amount and closes whenthe pressure falls below the said amount. Between the header and theoriginal source of supply is a valved conduit by means of whichhigh-pressure steam may be admitted to the header and the turbines whenfor any reason'the load on the latter exceeds a certain amount.Ordinarily the valve in this conduit is closed.

In starting the reciprocating engines it is sometimes desirable toobtain'the benefitof the condenser, and in order to do this a valvedby-pass connection is provided which shunts the turbines. Eachreciprocating engine may have its own conduit, or they may a conduitthat is common thereto.

The turbines ma with advantage be em.- ployed to drive e ectricgenerators of the alternating-current type, and when these generatorsare connected in arallel with another source which is suitab ycontrolled the latter will maintain the speed of the turbine constant orapproximately so, and admission. 'valves for the turbines may bedispensed crease in speed trips asuitable device that causes a shutoiivalve between the header and the turbine to close.

The reciprocating engines may be pro vided with any suitable governor.

A turbine designed for operation under the conditions above specified isexceedingly simple, and its maintenance and care add little or nothingto the cost of station operation. In certaln stations furnishingelectriccurrent the introduction of the arrangement described with propercondensing facilities will increase the output as much as thirty percent. without any increase of the fuel consumption. or change in theboiler plant.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one embodiment of myinvention, Figure 1. is a plan view of a power plant coinprisingliiglipressure reciprocating engines and low-pressure turbines. Fig. 2is a detail view of one of the emergency or shut-off valves between theheader and the low-pressure turbines. Fig. 3 is a diagram illustratingthe circuit connections of the generators,

and Fig. 4 is a slight modification wherein the steam is admitted inpuii's and discharged as a continuous or practically continuous stream.

Each of the conduits 11 is provided with a valve, as shown in Fig. 2',which will hereinafter be described. Mounted either above or below theturbines are suitable alternatingcurrent generators 12 and 13, that aredrivenby the main shafts of the turbines. Each turbine is connected to acondenser 14 of suitable construction. As illustrated, these condensersare of the ordinary surface type. 15 represents the pipe for conveyingthe coolingwater to the condenser, and 16 the dischargepipe.

' The header 8 is provided with an automatic relief-valve 17, which whenthe pres sure therein exceeds a predetermined amount opens and permitssteam to escape to the conduit 1S. lVhen the pressure decreases below apredetermined point, the valve automatically closes.

It sometimes happens that the load on the turbine exceeds that which canbe handled by the exhaust-steam from the reciprocating engine. Underthese conditions live steam from the main 5 is supplied to the header 8by the valved conduit 19. Under normal conditions this conduit isclosed. The arrange-- ment shown in Fig. at may, however, be employed.Instead of taking steam from the main 5 it may be taken from a pointbetween the high and low pressure cylinders of the reciprocatingengines.

in Fig. 2 is shown the detailed construction of the shut-oil valvebetween the header and each of the turbines. 20 represents the conduitwhich supplies steam to the steam-chest 21, Fig. 1, and mounted in theconduit is a butterfly-valve 22, which is mounted on a suitable spindle.To one end of the spindle isconnected an arm23, whichhas a weight 24 i land the weight permitted to (lose tl trolled conduit 40, the latterreceiving eeaeec suspended from its outer end. Tl va ve are normallyretained in t shown by means of the pivotall'y latch 25. This latchnorn'ially p valve from closing.

The apparatus for releasing th atch now be described. .26. shaft of aturbine, and mounted arranged to move outwardly nd termined increase inspeed-. ple, ten per cent.is weight in tire path of the weight an struckthereby when. the speed certain point is a reciprocating pit. it; or mdevice that engages with the lever 7 latter being connected by the rodtil) 1 l. latch 25. Obviously when th moved longitudinally to the causethe rod 30 to be moved to tripping the valve and allowing it i under theaction of the weight '34. is desired to shut oil a turbid header, thelatch 25 may be actuate:

The vaive may be reset by raising d by hand until the latch 25 rocngagtIn Fig. 3 .l have shown. din three generators 3, 4, and L, bus-bars 3and 33. The gene; may be of any suitable construction. circuits betweenthe generators and the i i bars are provided with switches 3 1. by m ofwhich the circuits can be inter-rd When the generators are of the all...current type, those driven by the it will be kept in synchronism withthose ("it by the reciprocating engines. The 91 are provided with anysuitable govcri mechanism to maintain the necessary spe d. When theturbines are em loyed to (ll'l c ternators connected in parallel, i. 1mpense with governing mechanis hm On the other hand, I may employ govt-i.mechanism and arrange the turbines to drire either alternating or directcurrent geniw ators.

In Fig. 4 is shown a turbine ol' the (iu'if other type having separatesteanu 'hc 36, and 37, each of which is connected s n wrately to theheader 8. In each of the r nections is a valve 38, usually liilll(l-.ated, whereby the passage of steam nu controlled. A steam-chest 39 isalso pmvided, and connected thereto is a valvefrom the high-pressuremain 5 for o\ conditions. When the turbine is of the tis or other jettype, the expansion ratio o the nozzle or nozzles supplied by the hi; 1-pressure steam would be somewhat grain than that of the nozzles suppliedby exlizi. i steam from the header.

In accordance with the provisions of patent statutes 1 have described.the pr ple of operation of my invention, tog

with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodimentthereof; but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown isonly illustrative and that the invention can be carried out by othermeans. What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters. Patent ofthe United States, is

1. In combination, one or more high-pressurereciprocating engines, aheader receiving the exhaust therefrom, one or more low-pressureturbines receivin energy from the header, a relief-valve ischargin fromthe header to a suitable exhaust, an a conduit ;for admittin hih-pressure fluid to the turbine for over 0a conditions of service.

2. In combination, one or more high-pressure reciprocating engines} aheader recelving the exhaust therefrom, one or more low-pressureturbines receiving energ from the header, and acondenser into W 'ch theturbines exhaust, in combination with a by-pass connection by which thereciprocating engine or engines can be started as condensing units.

3. In combination, oneor more high-pressure reciprocating engines, aheader receiving exhaust therefrom, one'or more low-pressure turbinesreceiving energ from the header, and a conduit for admlttinghigh-pressure fluid to the turbine or turbines for overload conditions.

4. In combination, one or more high-pressure reciprocating engines, aheader receiving exhaust therefrom, a rellef-valve therefor,

one or more low-pressure turbines receiving energy from the header, oneor more condensers into which the turbines exhaust, a conduit admittinghigh-pressure .fluid to the header for heavy-load conditions on theturbines, and aconduit for connecting one or more of the reciprocatinengines to thecondensing apparatus for t e purpose of start- 5. Incombination, one or more reciprocating' engines, a header receiving theexhaust therefrom, one or more low-pressure turbines receiving ener yfrom the header, electric generators for S16 engines and turbines, whichI are connected in parallel to synchronize the -when the speed of thetur speeds of the reciprocating engines and turbines, and an automaticvalve which controls the pressure of fluid in the header.

6. In combination, one or more reciprocating engines, a header receivingthe exhaust therefrom, one or more low-pressure turbines receiving enery from the header, electric generators for t c engines andturbines,which are connected in parallel to synchronize the speeds ofthe reciprocating engines and turbines, and a conduit for admittinghigh-pressure fluid to the turbine or turbines for heavy loadconditions.

7. In combination, one or more reciprocatingengines, a header receivingthe exhaust therefrom, one or more low-pressure turbines receivingenergy from theheader, elec tric generators for t e engines andturbines, an automatic relief-valve for controlling the pressure in theheader, and a conduit for admitting high-pressure fluid directly fromthe source to the header when the load on the turbine or turbinesexceeds a certain predetermined amount.

8. In combination, one or more high-pres sure reciprocating engines, oneor more lowressure turbines recelving the exhaust thereom, a shut-offvalve for each turbine which closes the communication between it and thehigh-pressure reciprocatin engine or engines bine exceeds a certainpredetermined amount, and a conduit that dischrr'ges the excess motivefluid when one or more of the shut-off valvesclose.

9. In combination, one or more highpressure reciprocating engines, aheader recelving the exhaust therefrom, one or more low-pressureturbines connected to and receiving mo tive fluid from the header,condensing apparatus connected to the turbine or turblnes, and a conduitfor admitting motive fluid to the turbine or turbines at a pressureabove that of the header. i

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 5th day of October,1905.

WILLIAM L. R. EMMET.

Witnesses:

BENJAMIN B. HULL, MARGARET E. WOOLLEY.

